Clint Eastwood told OnTheRedCarpet.com recently that viewers of his new vilm "J. Edgar" are free to "judge" the title character all they want.

Eastwood, best known for his directorial works "Million Dollar Baby" and "Gran Torino," directedthe biopic, which explores the career and personal life of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The film was released on Wednesday, November 9.

While Hoover was seen by many as one of the most powerful men in America, he was also a man of many secrets. His right-hand man, Clyde Tolson, was also rumored to be his lover. He is played by Armie Hammer of "The Social Network" fame.

"You can judge him all you want, that's what the movie is," Eastwood, 80, told OnTheRedCarpet.com host Chris Balish and other reporters at the film's recent Los Angeles premiere. "To provoke a certain image in the audience - they can judge him all they want, sure."

"J. Edgar" also stars Ed Westwick of "Gossip Girl" as an FBI agent and Naomi Watts as Hoover's trusted secreyary.

Eastwood said he and DiCaprio talked about working together several years ago.

"I just liked him [DiCaprio] as an actor very much, and he wanted to do the part," the director added. "So I said yeah, let's go. I read the script, liked it, he liked it, everybody liked it - Armie liked, Naomi liked it, Judie Dench liked it - all the actors I really like, liked it - so they came aboard.